10:25 PM,
Dec. 5, 2012

A residential home loan application is arranged for a photograph in San Francisco on July 19, 2012.

Written by

Gregory Korte
Gannett/USA Today

Designed to boost home ownership, the mortgage interest deduction is one of the most popular provisions of the tax code. But Internal Revenue Service data show that only 25 percent of tax filers claim it.

The use of the deduction varies widely from region to region, ranging from a high of 37 percent of taxpayers in Maryland to a low of 15 percent in North Dakota and West Virginia, according to a USA TODAY analysis of IRS data.

As Congress and President Obama look for a deal to avert self-imposed austerity measures known as the "fiscal cliff," mortgage interest deductions are part of a menu of policy ...